High power pulsed devices are of great importance in various fields. Among the users of high power pulses are radar system transmitters and RF illuminators. For Radar, the control of the leading and lagging edges of the pulses is critical for detection of close in targets. If the pulses are not sharp-edged, it is difficult to determine the turn-ON or turn-OFF moments that result in larger dead time between transmit and receive pulse. It is the dead time between transmit and receive that determine the close in range limitation for a pulse radar.
A major problem with pulsed power circuits is that they typically use open-drain devices which have an unbalanced turn-ON/turn-off time, where turn-OFF is typically much slower then turn-ON. As such, radar dead time is driven by the slower rate.
It is ordinarily assumed that an open-drain power circuit device ceases to operate once DC and input RF power is removed. However, in many solid state RF amplifiers, energy is stored within local capacitor and transistor electric fields. This energy, which has not been discharged through the power line, can result in undesired in-band and/or out-of-band RF radiation.